What Makes A M1928 An A1?

Interests:WWII U.S. military weapons, Air to Air combat. I was involved with a game called AirWarrior, doing some work on the two published versions of the game. I love the P-51 Mustang, and used to operate a website devoted to photos of various P-51s I took over the years. Basset Hounds Rule!

Posted 07 March 2004 - 08:48 PM

And the P-400 was a P-39 "Airacobra" originally meant for England. The English realized what pieces of crap the P-39s wereand declined to accept them. The Army Air Force took them, numbered them P-400's and sent them off to theSouth East Asia theater, AKA Guadacanal. They had a 20mm Hispano rather than the standard 37mm cannon in the nose.

Yea, the P-39/400 was the "commercial" export model that Bell tried to sell to the UK for air combat.

An old friend worked for Bell during that period and said the P-39 with the 37mm was a hoot to shoot. Said you would line up on a ground target, loose the hammer, and big holes would open up in the ground. He said the shortcomings of the design were the low power engine and the torque whip from the shaft. He said it could be a surprise during air combat, it could change the rate of roll during left and right bank when throttling up or down during the maneuver. He said it was outstanding in the ground attack, tank busting mode, for it was very stable.

Interests:WWII U.S. military weapons, Air to Air combat. I was involved with a game called AirWarrior, doing some work on the two published versions of the game. I love the P-51 Mustang, and used to operate a website devoted to photos of various P-51s I took over the years. Basset Hounds Rule!

Posted 09 March 2004 - 05:49 AM

QUOTE

I always thought that was one of the neatest looking planes, with so many innovative features, many of which are universal today. But I doubt if you will ever see one of these planes maintained in restored flying condition. The drive train makes that an impossible job. NAPA doesn't sell the parts.

Well the CAF has a P-39 in flyable condition (CAF P-39)and so does the Kalamazoo Air Museum (Air Zoo Bird). I have seen both of them over the years. The P-63 owned by Frank Borrman won Oshkosh's best warbird award a few years ago. They are still out there.

Interests:WWII U.S. military weapons, Air to Air combat. I was involved with a game called AirWarrior, doing some work on the two published versions of the game. I love the P-51 Mustang, and used to operate a website devoted to photos of various P-51s I took over the years. Basset Hounds Rule!

Posted 09 March 2004 - 07:36 PM

The Kalamazoo Air Museum is a wonderful museum. Not affiliated with the military, but they have a special relationship withthe Navy. You will find a great deal of Navy aircraft there. Only place where I have went and seen 5 F-14s on the ramp at one time,four flyables and their museum bird. Go in July when they have their "Air Zoo" airshow. Small numbers (relative to Dayton) of peopleand lots of aircraft. Evidently (having checked their website) they are having a grand re-opening this May. Musta did some remodeling.

Yeager flew the P-39 before shipping out over seas with the 357th FG and LIKED IT. That if anything says the man is not all rightin the head.

I think Yeager once tied a thompson smg to an Armadillo.. or shot an armadillo.. or something... (pathetic topic save attempt).

LSU,I think Colt Navy TSMG serial #3873, a prototype marked 1928- A1 , (with vertical grip), kills that theory. But it does show that they were fooling around with the A1 designation before the standard issued horizontal grip Savage WWII guns.

Yea, the P-51 Mustang, a truly great fighter. My pal Mickey Spillane was a Mustang flight instructor during WWII, he said the six 50cal. machine-guns was hoot to shoot, as he says: "real firepower" ! At 86 he still has his pilot's liscense, although he doesn't fly much anymore, he sold his personal Mustang years ago, he used to own a couple of Thompsons too. So I guess guns and planes will always go hand-in-hand!